For the first time, there were two Interzonals.

1973 Leningrad Interzonal
June 3-28, 1973

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 1. Korchnoi   USSR  x ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1  13½- 3½
 2. Karpov     USSR  ½ x ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  13½- 3½
 3. Byrne, R.  USA   0 ½ x ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1  12½- 4½
 4. Smejkal    CZE   ½ 0 ½ x 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1  11 - 6
 5. Larsen     DEN   0 ½ 0 1 x 1 1 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1  10 - 7
 6. Huebner    BRD   0 ½ ½ 1 0 x ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1  10 - 7
 7. Kuzmin     USSR  ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ x 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½   9½- 7½
 8. Tal        USSR  0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 x 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 0 1 0 1   8½- 8½
 9. Gligoric   YUG   ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 0 X ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1   8½- 8½
10. Taimonov   USSR  0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ x 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½   8½- 8½
11. Radulov    BUL   0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 x 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1   7½- 9½
12. Quinteros  ARG   0 0 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 x ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1   7½- 9½
13. Torre      PHI   0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 ½ x ½ ½ 1 1 1   7 -10
14. Uhlmann    DDR   ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ x ½ ½ ½ 1   7 -10
15. Rakavinc   YUG   1 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ x 0 1 ½   6½-10½
16. Tukmakov   USSR  0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 x ½ 1   6 -11
17. Estevez    C     0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ x 1   4½-12½
18. Cuellar    COL   0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 x   1½-15½

  • Players in Green advanced to the 1974 Candidates Matches.

  • Spassky, as loser of the last World Championship, and Petrosian, as loser of the last Candidates Final, were seeded into the 1974 Candidates.

  • Going into this tournament, Tal had been undefeated in 84 straight games, an all-time record. His recurring health problems chose the wrong time to return, and he failed to do more than break even here.

  • Bent Larsen, a qualifier from the last three Interzonals, protested strongly against being placed in this Interzonal, believing that it was far stronger than the Petropolis Interzonal. The Average Rating of both tournaments was virtually equal, but in Larsen's opinion, the Leningrad Interzonal contained more "stars", making it a tougher tournament. According to FIDE President, Dr. Euwe, Larsen waited too long to make his protest, until after it was too late to change the schedules, so nothing could be done. Larsen started excellently, with 5½ out of the first 6 games, and after 11 rounds still had a +5 score, but collapsed at the end, losing 4 of the last 6 games (including ½-4½ in his last 4 Whites), and failed to qualify. Here is the record of Larsen's tale of woe. 

    Round   12345678901234567
White    1 ½ 1 0 ½ 0  0 0   3-5 with White
Black   1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 01 1    7-2 with Black
Total   111½11½0½½1001010  10-7 overall

  • Everyone got a prize of some kind in this tournament. Some of them include:

  • Best Start:  Larsen, (4½-½)
  • Best Result by a Foreign Player:  Robert Byrne
  • Most Consecutive Wins:  Jan Smejkal, (7)
  • Best Result against the Top 9:  
  • Best Result by a Master against Grandmasters:  Gennadi Kuzmin, (6-6)
  • Best Finish:  Korchnoi and Karpov, (4½-½)
  • Most Wins:  Viktor Korchnoi, (11)
  • Best Score Against Non-Soviets:  Viktor Korchnoi, (10½-1½)
  • Best Score in 2nd Half:  Anatoly Karpov, (6½-1½)
  • Most Points With Black:  Anatoly Karpov, (7½)
  • Best Result against GM's:  Viktor Korchnoi, (9-2)
  • Best Result against Soviets:  Viktor Korchnoi, (4-1) 
    • 



1973 Petropolis Interzonal
July 23 - August 17, 1973

                      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 1. Mecking      BRA  x ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1  12 - 5
 2. Geller       USR  ½ x ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1  11½- 5½
 3. Polugaevsky  USR  ½ ½ x 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1 1  11½- 5½
 4. Portisch     HUN  ½ ½ 0 x ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1  11½- 5½
 5. Smyslov      USR  0 ½ ½ ½ x 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1  11 - 6
 6. Bronstein    USR  ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 x 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 1  10½- 6½
 7. Hort         CZE  ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 x 1 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1  10 - 7
 8. Savon        USR  0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 x 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½   9½- 7½
 9. Ljubojevic   YUG  ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 1 x ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 1   9 - 8
10. Ivkov        YUG  ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ x ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½   9 - 8
11. Reshevsky    USA  0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ x ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½   8½- 8½
12. Keres        USR  ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ x ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1   8 - 9
13. Panno        ARG  ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ x ½ ½ ½ 1 1   8 - 9
14. Gheorghiu    RUM  0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ x 1 ½ 1 ½   7½- 9½
15. Biyiasis     CAN  ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 x ½ 1 1   6½-10½
16. Tan          SIN  0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ x 0 ½   3 -14
17. Kagan        ISR  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 x ½   3 -14
18. Hug          SWI  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ x   3 -14

  • Players in Green advanced to the 1974 Candidates Matches.

  • Portisch, Polugaevsky, and Geller tied for the final Candidates spot. They played four games each with each other at Portoroz, from September 5-22, 1973, eliminating Geller. 
                          1    2    3 
1. Portisch         xxxx 11½½ ½1½½  5½-2½
2. Polugaevsky      00½½ xxxx 110½  3½-4½
3. Geller           ½0½½ 001½ xxxx  3 -5

  • Spassky, as loser of the last World Championship, and Petrosian, as loser of the last Candidates Final, were seeded into the 1974 Candidates.

  • Along with Larsen (above), another candidate for the Andrija Fuderer Collapse Award was Lubomir Ljubojevic, who began this tournament 3-0, 5½-½, and 6½-1½ before losing his first game. Bobby Fischer himself expressed the general feeling that "everyone thought Ljubojevic would make it." But after his score reached 7½-2½, the bottom dropped out. Ljubo went 1½-5½ the rest of the way, and missed qualification by 2½ points. 
    Ljubojevic  12345678901234567
White        1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 0   4½-3½
Black       1 1 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½  4½-4½
TOTAL       111½11½½010½½000½  9 -8

  • Less grandiose, but equally heartbreaking, was the failure of Geller, a man who had qualified 5 previous times, to make it to the Candidates this time. In the final round, Geller took a 12 move draw with White against Panno, thinking his qualification assured. The only thing that could prevent it would be for the previously unbeaten Portisch to lose to Polugaevsky. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened, putting all three of them into the Portoroz Playoff.

    At the playoff, disaster struck. Had Geller but offered a draw to Portisch before forgetting the time control and losing on time on Move 87 in a pawn up, but dead drawn dead ending, with N+3 pawns vs. N+2 pawns (all on the same side of the board), he and not Polugaevsky would have advanced, due to his superior tiebreaks.

    Another irony. At the 1970 Interzonal, it was Geller, one of the few men with a winning record against Fischer, who lost to Fischer after blundering through exhaustion after being ground down in a pawn-down but dead drawn ending. Trying the same trick here himself, he again managed to lose but this time as the grinder, rather than the grindee.

  • David Bronstein was a last minute replacement for Leonid Stein, who died of a heart weeks before the tournament began, at age 38.

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